FRANKLIN—The Franklin Virginia Employment Commission office has closed its doors.

The Franklin operation of VEC ended April 5. The closest available office for full VEC services is Suffolk or Emporia. The local employment office was located in the Workforce Development Center on the Paul D. Camp Community College campus.

Amanda Jarratt, president and chief executive officer of Franklin-Southampton Economic Development Inc., said this week that she hopes the VEC would continue to work with the area and serve the needs.

“I think its unfortunate that the office has closed because of the great need and high unemployment rate in the area,” Jarratt stressed, adding that she had worked with the local office in many aspects. “We were using them for hiring for Enviva (Pellets) and I’m hopeful they will continue to be flexible and work with us.”

The closure will make it difficult for people without Internet access or transportation to access the services provided.

“It sets up an additional hurdle for people to gain employment,” said Jarratt.

There is still help available in the form of the PDCCC Career Development Center. “Clients job seeking can come to the center located in the Franklin Campus,” said Angela Lawhorne, the center’s coordinator.

She and her staff can help with job searches, resources and preparing for interviews, as well as helping them log in online to the VEC website to apply for jobs. The CDC is located in Room 128.

Efforts to reach someone with the VEC were unsuccessful.

However, a flyer with information about the closure indicates to file an unemployment claim, to call (866) 832-2363 or online at www.vec.virginia.gov.

The Suffolk VEC office is located at 157 N. Main St., and the phone number is (757) 514-7743.

The Emporia VEC office is located at 1781 Greensville County Circle, and the phone number is (434) 634-2326.